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Manchester Wolves game notes

July 5, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release


Next Home Game - Friday, July 8 vs. W-B/Scranton Pioneers - "T-Shirt Night & Nascar Night"

Fans, come join us this Friday, July 8 for "T-Shirt Night & Nascar Night," presented by Rock 101 and WGIR AM 610. The first 2,000 fans through the doors that night will receive a FREE Wolves "Keep Poundin" t-shirt. That night's festivities will also include having the official Rusty Wallace #2 Miller Lite Dodge car parked outside on the plaza for display. The 168 Magazine pre-game concert series starts things off at 6:00 p.m. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. To get in on the fun, purchase your tickets today at the Verizon Wireless Arena box office or through Ticketmaster at 603-868-7300, at Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Adult seats start as low as $14.25 in the upper bowl while youth (12-and-under) and senior (65-and-over) tickets start at just $9.75.

Game 13 Preview - Wolves vs. W-B/S Pioneers - 7:30 PM (Verizon Wireless Arena) - Radio: 1370 AM

The W-B/Scranton Pioneers enter Friday's game with a 7-5 record and are tied for third place in the East Division. The Pioneers are playing well, having won three of their last four games. Their most recent victory was a 65-46 triumph at S. Georgia on June 25. Veteran QB Bryan Snyder, who took over the starting job from Kyle Rowley officially three weeks ago, leads the offensive unit. His two main targets of late have been Rocco Forgione and Thomie Venisee. Forgione leads the Pioneers in all major pass catching categories, including receptions (77), receiving yards (963) and touchdowns (23). Six of Venisee's 11 touchdown grabs on the season have come in the past two games. He has 35 receptions overall for 413 yards. On defense, Jamie Hattley ranks second in the league in tackles ( 81.5) and also ranks among the af2's best in passes defended (23). The Pioneers defense ranks fifth in the league in scoring defense at 44.0 points per game allowed. W-B/Scranton leads the all-time series 6-4. In their only other head-to-head battle this season, the Wolves defeated the Pioneers, 46-33, on May 27 at W-B/Scranton. The Wolves will counter with the dynamic duo of QB Jake Eaton and WR/LB J.J. McKelvey on offense. Eaton has been sharp all season, connecting on a league-leading 71.5 percent of his passes. The former Maine signal caller is also among the league's top QBs in passer rating (1st - 127.3) and passing touchdowns (3rd - 65). McKelvey has been Eaton's favorite target. He leads the league with 103 receptions and also ranks among the league's best in scoring (2nd - 232 points). As a group, the Wolves offense ranks eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 50.8 ppg. On defense, William "Roc" Haith and Allistair Sebastien are impact players in the secondary. Haith leads the league in tackles (94) and is among the top-5 in passes defended (28). Sebastien is among the af2 elite in interceptions with six. The Wolves defense ranks second in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 38.2 ppg.

Game 12 Wrap-up - Wolves Fall For 2nd Time In 2005, 41-39; 10-Game Win Streak Snapped vs. Quad City

On "Not your typical team photo giveaway night," the Manchester Wolves put together a not so typical performance of their own on Friday, June 24, losing 41-39 to the Quad City Steamwheelers in front of 6,807 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Quad City's upset victory snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Wolves (10-2). The Steamwheelers evened their record at 6-6 with the win. After a back-and-forth affair that the Wolves led most of the night, Quad City's Travis Burns scored from two yards out to give the Steamwheelers a two-point lead, 41-39, with 39 seconds left. Manchester had one last opportunity to put together a game winning drive, but failed to move the ball up the field after three straight incompletions. Quad City took over after Wolves kicker Rick Ehmke missed a go-ahead 46-yard field goal wide left with 13 seconds left in the game. In defeat, Manchester's J.J. McKelvey earned Offensive Player of the Game honors with eight catches for a game-high 119 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Burns was exceptional for the Steamwheelers, scoring two rushing touchdowns and returning a kickoff 55-yards for a touchdown. Quad City QB Sam Clemons was 28-of-41 passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns (one INT) on the night. Clemons helped bring his team back from a 12-point second-half deficit to outscore the Wolves 28-14 in the game's final 30 minutes. On the other side, Wolves star signal caller Jake Eaton wasn't his usual self in the first half, throwing a season-high two interceptions. In spite of all the miscues and dropped passes, however, the Wolves still held a 25-13 advantage at the half thanks to four Eaton touchdown tosses. He finished the night with 258 yards in the air with six touchdowns on 23-of-46 attempts. On the defensive side of the ball, Manchester's William Haith was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game for his 8.5 tackles (seven solo), one sack, and one pass breakup. Marc Bacote earned U.S. Army Ironman of the Game honors with five catches for 57 yards, one touchdown and one interception on defense.

This Week's Community Events Calendar

On Tuesday, July 5th, Manchester Wolves mascot Blitz will be making an appearance at TGIFriday's in Manchester for their kid's night. The event will be held from 5 - 8 PM. Blitz will be there around 7 PM to spread the good word of the Wolves.

On Thursday, July 7th, Manchester Wolves mascot Blitz will be making an appearance at Intown Manchester's summer concert series. The event will be held in the evening at Veteran's Park in Manchester. Blitz will be there from 6:30 - 7:30 PM mingling with the crowd and signing autographs.

On Saturday, July 9th, Manchester Wolves mascot Blitz along with some Manchester Wolves players will be making an appearance at Home Depot on So. Willow Street in Manchester. The kids-based event, which is FREE to the public, will run from 10 - 12:30 PM. The players will on hand to help the kids build a sailboat, train bank, and ring toss set.

On Saturday, July 9th, the Manchester Wolves will be making an appearance at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH. The event will run from 2:00 - 6:00 PM. The players will be having an autograph session, while the dance team will also be having an autograph session along with performing some routines on stage. Blitz will be on hand as well to mingle and greet the many park patrons.

(Very) Good Eaton
Despite his recent sub-par performance against Quad City on June 24, Manchester QB Jake Eaton has shown all season long that he's arguably the most efficient quarterback in the entire league. The former Maine standout has completed over 70 percent (league-best 71.5) of his passes and has thrown just six interceptions in 400 attempts. To compliment that, Eaton's thrown for 3,101 yards and 65 touchdowns. With four games to play, he's just one touchdown pass shy of tying Chris Sanders' team record of 66 TD passes in a season. Eaton is also on pace to finish with over 4,000 yards passing and could approach Sanders' team mark of 4,184.

J.J. Is Dyno-mite!
Manchester Wolves WR/LB J.J. McKelvey is in the midst of an all-star caliber season. After a solid rookie campaign last season in which he played just six games, the former Clemson standout has started to blossom into a big-time Arena Football player in 2005. Through 12 games, McKelvey has already broken seven Wolves franchise records and is closing in on a host of others.

Wolves Win Streak Among League's All-time Best
The Wolves recent win streak of ten games is the longest in arenafootball2 this season and tied for the fourth longest single season win streak in league history. If history holds true, Manchester has a 33 percent chance of winning the ArenaCup. Out of the three other teams that won 10 straight games in the past, only one - Quad City in 2001- has gone on to claim the league championship. The Wolves hope to make it two out of four with a strong finish in 2005 coupled with a perfect postseason. Game

Doctor's Notes
The bye week was the best medicine the Wolves could've asked for. The week off gave a lot of the players time to rest their tired muscles and heal their bumps and bruises. FB/LB Mark Kimener's knee contusion, which forced him to be placed on the short term injured reserve list, should be fine in time for him to return to action this Friday against W-B/Scranton.



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